One Day as Wonder Woman

In one hour Jenne’s chaotic world would wake up and she would be swept away by her responsibilities. She laid in bed starring at the ceiling running down her task list for the day. She wiped at her unexpectedly sweaty forehead and kicked off the covers.  Why was it so hot? The sound of Calvin, her husband, snoring next to her caused a wee bit of resentment in her as he was able to sleep soundly, while she wrestled with what’s to come.

“Of course he can sleep,” she muttered sarcastically.  Thinking how as the father of their two kids he someone how got a pass for helping them get out the door in the mornings. At 9 and 14 their son Junior and daughter Chai were both a handful and a half. “If only I could be Wonder Woman for just one day.” Jenne murmured as sleep finally descended 45 minutes before she was to wake up. 

When her alarm sounded Jenne bounced out of bed refreshed and ready to take on the world. After her shower she woke Calvin so he could start getting ready for work. Once dressed she trotted downstairs to put some bacon in the oven.  Setting the oven timer she headed for Chai’s room to wake her daughter up.  She learned it was better to wake them up on a staggered schedule to keep them from fighting over their shared bathroom.  To be fair she alternated who woke up first each week. 

“Ma, I’m still sleepy.” Chai whined pulling the cover over her head. 

“You have fifteen minutes before I send your brother in.”  Jenne warned her as she left the room to head back to the kitchen.

“Jenne, have you seen my brown, gold toe, dress socks?” Calvin poked his head out of their bedroom and asked.  

“I tucked them in the shoes you laid out to wear today.” 

“Thanks Sweetie,” he smiled and winked at her.

“You’re welcome,” she said as she continued on to the kitchen to check the bacon. She made coffee and poured some in Calvin’s traveling cup and screwed on the lid. She sat it on the counter with a brown bag with one apple, one banana and a homemade granola bar inside. The timer for the bacon went off and she pulled it out of the oven then headed to Junior’s room.  

“Rise and shine,” she shook him to wake him knowing he wouldn’t wake up otherwise. 

“Why can’t today be Saturday?” he asked as he slowly sat up.

“You tell me,” Jenne said pointing towards the bathroom. “Don’t you dare ‘forget’ to brush your teeth and wash your face.” Jenne called after him. 

Thirty minutes later, the kids were finishing eating breakfast. Their lunches were in their backpacks along with the homework they’d done the night before. Calvin had left and was on his way to work. “It’s time to head out.” Jenne announced and herded them into the car. She dropped them off at their respective schools and was home and ready to log in for work forty minutes later.

“This morning went pretty well if I do say so myself.” Jenne smiled as she made herself some coffee. It had been a while since the morning had gone that smoothly. She grabbed her golden lasso and headed for her office.

“Jenne, Jenne,” someone called her name from somewhere in the distance. “Wake up Jenne, you have to take this medicine.” Jenne opened her eyes and saw Calvin standing over her with a glass a water and two pills.  She was burning hot and sweating like she’d been sitting in a sauna.

“I called your doctor and she said to give you these every four hours to break your fever. If your temperature doesn’t start going down, or if it goes up any more I have to take you in.  I also called your manager and told him that you are ill and wouldn’t be working today, and probably tomorrow. I’m going to work from home so don’t worry about anything.”

Jenne looked over at the clock, it was ten in the morning. “The kids,” she tried to sit up and kick it into gear. They would be terribly late today. 

Calvin blocked her exit from the bed, “I dropped them off at school, before I picked up your medicine.” He handed her the medicine and the glass of water and watched that she took them. He helped her change out of her sweaty pajamas into some fresh ones and then helped her back into bed.  She slept the day away, only waking up when he brought her medicine.

It wasn’t until eleven pm that night that her fever finally broke, she woke and took a long swallow of the juice Calvin had placed on her nightstand. Twenty minutes later Calvin walked slowly into the room, then crawled into bed, face planting into his pillow.

“Are you okay?” Jenne asked reaching over and rubbing his back.

“I don’t know how you do this every day. I thought getting them to school this morning was rough. They fought over the bathroom, until I threatened to put them both on punishment. Neither one of them wanted the cereal I gave them, because Mom normally makes them a ‘real breakfast’. 

Chai tried me by coming out with enough makeup on to join the circus and swore you let her wear it; when I know for a fact you don’t. She got a serious attitude when I made her take it off. When I managed to drop them off to school on time I was proud of myself.  Unfortunately, once I got home and opened the refrigerator I discovered that apparently our kids don’t grab the lunches you make for them. You must put them in their backpacks, cause their lunches were still here.”

“I had to go back to both their schools and drop off their lunches. It felt like I’d only worked one hour when it was time to go pick them up. Our son runs up to me and says “Hi Dad,” and I thought I was going to pass out from the stench that came out of his mouth. According to him he’d forgotten to brush his teeth. When I picked up our daughter she had reapplied the makeup I told her not to wear. Jenne she had so much lipgloss on it looked like she’d stuck her lips in a jar of pink vaseline. 

Luckily there was enough leftovers from last night otherwise I would have had to order a pizza. I still had work to do, but had to wait until I helped with their homework.  Chai is pretty self sufficient in terms of doing her work, but Junior is a different story. And though I couldn’t say it to him, I just want to say for the record that I agree with him that this new math is stupid. You know Jenne I don’t think I’ve ever heard them call for me so much. I thought I could never get tired of them calling me Dad, but let me tell you I came real close tonight. Do you know those jokers had the nerve to get upset because I told them to wash dishes and clean up the kitchen. Once they were done I sent them to bed, only to have Chai remind me that I still needed to make their lunches and get Junior school clothes ready for tomorrow. 

I am beat and still didn’t get all the work I wanted to do, done. This morning I heard you say you wished you could be Wonder Woman for one day. Honestly, Jenne I now see you have been Wonder Woman and are doing entirely too much for this family.  Me and those jokers are going to start pulling our weight and the next time I have to step in for Wonder Woman I won’t be wishing for super powers of my own.”

Two minutes later the sound of Calvin’s snoring filled the room and Jenne smiled then drifted back to sleep thinking. I am Wonder Woman.

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